Tourism board looks to change grant funding methods
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is considering a number of major changes to increase its efficiency in collecting and…
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Franklin approves brunch bill with little fanfare
The Franklin Town Council unanimously approved the local adoption of the brunch bill, which will allow restaurants and stores to…
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Sylva approves Sunday morning alcohol sales
Sylva has joined the growing list of towns and counties approving Sunday morning alcohol sales following a 4-1 vote Sept.…
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Waynesville to reinstitute capacity use fees
Thanks to the N.C. Supreme Court and the North Carolina General Assembly, the Town of Waynesville’s about to be back…
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Franklin football banner incites religious debate
At a Friday night football game against Murphy, the Franklin High School cheerleaders took to the field like they do…
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WNC falls into October
Amid the innumerable reasons why we love Western North Carolina, the fall foliage of October might be the one key…
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Tourism board looks to change funding committees
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is considering a number of changes to increase its efficiency in collecting and allocating…
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Safety to improve at Bryson City intersections
Improvements may be coming to five intersections in Bryson City that would increase safety for drivers and pedestrians.
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Green air in the Blue Ridge
A report recently issued by the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition clears the air about Haywood County’s greenhouse gas…
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WCU total student enrollment tops 11,000
Records continue to fall by the wayside at Western Carolina University, as total student enrollment has surpassed 11,000 for the…
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Behind the scenes of SCC’s high-altitude weather balloon launch on eclipse day
By Julia Hartbarger • SCC Public Relations A little time has passed since the Great American Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21,…
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Swain schools names interim superintendent
The Swain County Board of Education has named Janet Clapsaddle as interim superintendent of schools after the retirement of Superintendent…
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Franklin doles out $40K in community funding
Every year the Franklin Town Council struggles to meet the needs of the community with only $40,000 to spend on…
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Macon to receive $100,000 for community needs
Macon County will receive $100,000 to be used for “community purposes” thanks to help from Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin.
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Franklin meeting gets heated over ABC facility
A Franklin Town Council meeting got heated as the mayor and aldermen disagreed over what steps the town should take…
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Garden of Memory dedicated at Lake Junaluska
The Lake Junaluska Columbarium and Garden of Memory was recently dedicated during a worship service in Memorial Chapel.
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Drug bust in Hazelwood
On Sept. 7, the Waynesville Police Department’s TAC Unit along with Haywood County’s Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Force, the U.N.I.T., executed…
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Tourism, trade could grow with WNC railroad renaissance
Long before the Oct. 3, 1880, arrival of the first scheduled train in Asheville, the American railroad has been romanticized…
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Regional leaders work for rail growth
One needn’t look further than industries like Sylva’s Jackson Paper, Canton’s Evergreen Packaging and Waynesville’s Giles Chemical for evidence of…
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Vintage trailers take to Maggie Valley
Aloha. Aristocrat. Forester. Shasta. Spartan. And of course, Airstream and Winnebago.
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Seven WNC counties to host Annual Stand Down
By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing writer In cooperation with the seven Veteran Services offices in the WNC region, the Macon…
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Spotlight blares on rare medical condition
What if you could see sounds and hear pictures? About 4 percent of people across the world possess a rare…
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Jury acquits in rape case
Nearly three years after a Sylva Halloween party resulted in his indictment for statutory rape, Cody Jenkins is a free…
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Giving back at Goodyacre: Ambitious plans in play at Canton area farm
At one time or another, many of us have thought about giving up on the hustling, bustling daily life of…
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Residence hall, parking deck projects move forward at WCU
Two projects deemed by Western Carolina University officials as necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing student enrollment…
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Of gods and governments: Brunch ordinance latest conflict between church, state
The inherent paradox in American government is that a nation founded upon Christian values by Christians provides for the separation…
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Waynesville brunch ordinance sends message
After two low-key meetings that saw no opposition, the Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance moving the…
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Brunch battle brewing in Canton
Over the past few years, Canton has made its case as a progressive, pragmatic, scrappy mill town fighting to attract…
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Brunch ordinance adoption varies in WNC
With the June 29 passage of Senate Bill 155, North Carolina became the 47th state in the union to allow…
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Unneeded, unwanted: brunch ordinance faces long odds in Maggie, Haywood
To date, most area governments that have heard a brunch bill ordinance have passed one. In other areas like Canton…
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Revised plans for Jackson Health Department will include one-stop permitting
Jackson County will spend $10,000 on a revised plan to renovate the Health Department building off Hospital Road after commissioners…
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Pigs as pets in Canton?
For decades, urban jurisdictions have enacted animal ordinances intended to sequester the odiferous, unsightly sprawl of animal husbandry outside of…
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Puppy party postponed: Proposed Waynesville ordinance told by board to sit, stay
Daytrippers with dogs are driving demand for an amendment to Waynesville’s pet policy at fairs and fests, but owners might…
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Council chooses Ensley as vice chief
Councilmember Alan “B” Ensley, of Yellowhill has been sworn in as Vice Chief following a veto from Principal Chief Richard…
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Total recount likely in Cherokee elections
The results of a recount in the race for Birdtown Tribal Council sent shock waves through Cherokee from the moment…
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Six members appointed to WCU Foundation Board of Directors
The Western Carolina University Foundation recently welcomed six new members to its board of directors following approval of the full…
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WCU rededicates Brown as newest dining facility
With a steady stream of hungry students filing by in search of dinner, members of one of Western Carolina University’s…
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Teenage DACA recipients call America home
Now in their senior and sophomore years of high school, Karen and José Ramos — ages 18 and 16, respectively —…
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A dream deferred: The clock is ticking on DACA
In a nation of more than 320 million people, a small group of just 800,000 sit squarely in the crosshairs…
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Balsam Preserve Endowment raises $15,000
The Balsam Mountain Preserve Endowment for Jackson County, a local committee created by the residents of Balsam Mountain Preserve, raised…
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Food pod will help the hungry
MANNA FoodBank and Haywood Christian Ministry will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 23 for its refrigerated…
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Confederate flag overshadows Clampitt town hall
A sparsely attended town hall meeting hosted by Bryson City Republican Rep. Mike Clampitt took an unexpected turn Sept. 5…
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Incumbents ousted in Tribal Council elections
Cherokee voters delivered a clear message to the sitting Tribal Council when they cast their votes in the General Election…
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‘Maybe we can start over’: Desire for change drives Cherokee voters
If Election Day interviews conducted with Cherokee voters swinging by Food Lion the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 7, are any…
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Swain leaders travel to D.C. for $4 million payment
The U.S. Department of Interior, under the new leadership of Secretary Ryan Zinke, finally coughed up a payment to Swain…
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Not guilty verdict delivered in statutory rape case
After two weeks of testimony, a jury delivered a verdict of not guilty on all counts in the case of…
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Bryson board says no to earlier alcohol sales
As a room full of disappointed local business owners stood by, the Bryson City Board of Aldermen voted down a…
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Franklin wants public input on ‘brunch bill’
Before deciding whether to adopt a new statewide law allowing for earlier Sunday alcohol sales, the Franklin Town Council wants…
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Stagnant excellence: Haywood schools steady in top 10 percent
The bad news is that Haywood County Schools failed to improve upon last year’s school district performance ranking.
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School improvement costs rise in Jackson
Rising construction costs are causing problems for Jackson County Schools as it attempts to complete $9 million of much-needed capital…
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